The present invention relates to a redialing method for a communication apparatus, and more particularly, to a redialing method that redials the digits of a telephone number in accordance with actual time intervals between the respective digits established by a user when originally dialing the telephone number.
Generally, when a telephone number is dialed and then stored in a facsimile or telephone device, if a redial key is later input, the stored telephone number is immediately redialed without regard to how quickly or slowly the telephone number has originally dialed. However, in order to catch a dial tone of a private exchange and/or a national exchange through a key telephone, dialing must be delayed until the dial tones of the respective exchanges are heard. After the dial tones are heard, dialing can be performed. A redialing operation can not be properly performed in this situation without considering the pause times for hearing the dial tones of the respective exchanges.
Moreover, in situations where a user is being provided with various kinds of information over the telephone, a main telephone number is first dialed, and then desired digits are next entered according to the instructions of a voice guide (i.e., menu options) stored in the information system. In these cases, an effective redial operation based on proper time intervals between digit entries would be invaluable for the user since otherwise, many digits must be manually entered and much time is unnecessarily consumed.
One prior art reference that seeks to insert dialing intervals between digits of a telephone number is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,835 entitled Method Of And Cicuit Arrangement For Inserting Dialling Intervals Between Stored Dialling Digits issued to Hirth et al. In Hirth et al. '835, when a user directly inputs digits of a telephone number, time intervals between digit inputs that exceed a normal length can be stored along with the digits. Upon redialing, those time intervals that exceed the normal length are inserted between their corresponding pairs of digits. While this type of configuration provides benefits in its own right, I note that conventional art, such as Hirth et al. '835, fails to store and utilize the time intervals between all pairs of consecutively input digits. That is, Hirth et al. '835 provides that only time intervals that exceed a given length are stored and utilized. Accordingly, I believe that an improved redialing method which advantageously utilizes all dialing intervals established by a user during an original dialing operation can be contemplated.